A maintenance employee with the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System stole money from the school system, according to an audit Tennessee Comptrollers released Thursday. That employee, Shay Patterson, stole at least $1,750. Patterson used his school system-issued procurement card to make personal purchases. With that card he bought, among other things, materials for fuel, cigarettes, personal auto insurance, and a driver’s license renewal, according to the audit. “In addition, Patterson inappropriately used the school system’s government tax-exempt status on his personal purchase of remodeling supplies for a private project,” auditors wrote. “As noted, he was not charged the required taxes.” This is the first Comptroller audit to report alleged government theft in 2019. “The Comptroller’s Office initiated the investigation after officials with the school system reported questionable transactions related to a maintenance employee’s procurement card,” auditors said in a press release. In May of last year, Patterson paid $1,750 to the school system for personal charges on his school system procurement card, claiming a family member mistakenly used it. Patterson later admitted to investigators he used his procurement card for personal purchases without the knowledge or the authority of school officials. “Patterson stated that he used the procurement card as a…
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